In conventional systems it is necessary for a user to comprehend an intelligent module's configuration parameters and its placement in memory. For example, a user is required to create configuration tables from scratch, and to manually ensure that specified parameters for an intelligent module are configured within acceptable ranges.
In conventional systems, in order to control the operation of an intelligent module through a user's program, it is necessary to understand the specific limitations and timing issues involved with transferring data between an intelligent module and a controller, such as a program logic controller (PLC), as well as data transfers between the intelligent module and remote devices.
Hence, conventional systems require that a user spend a significant amount of time learning intimate details of the intelligent module's operation and creating customized program code to interface with an intelligent module. As a result, application development time is far longer than would otherwise be necessary. Further, the user requires additional time to debug the customized program code, since module interface code is inherently difficult to verify in a debugging environment.
It will be appreciated that each new project typically requires modifications to the code of the intelligent module. These modifications, regardless if minor or major, typically require significant modifications to the interface code. Therefore, even minor modifications to an intelligent module require additional programming cycles to create, configure and debug an interface module.
It will also be appreciated that a user may not have access to the source code or to documentation associated with the executable code of an intelligent module or of an interface module. Therefore, a user will not have the direction and guidance necessary to perform maintenance. A user will also be very dependent on an original project during maintenance of an existing PLC program. If a user did not have the original source project when they uploaded a working PLC program, the user would have no comments or symbolic names to aid in the maintenance of the program. Any modifications to the intelligent module configuration had to be accomplished without the aid of any program documentation.